The early eighties were awash with popular trends: Pac-Man, MTV, the mullet haircut, yuppies…and racquetball. I first discovered this game when my friend Jonathan (or “JP,” as he was known), invited me to join him on a local court. I took to the game immediately. It’s a fast-paced sport that’s great exercise, relatively easy to learn, and, in the vernacular of the day, “super-fun” to play.
JP was an avid racquetball enthusiast. He played frequently and he knew the intricacies of the game, inside and out. Although I was a total novice, JP offered to provide me with weekly tutorials. He was a wise and patient teacher. He’d meticulously explain the various strategies and then relentlessly drill me on the assorted methods of attack: The passing shot. The ceiling shot. The pinch shot. The Z-shot. The kill shot.
Late at night, I’d head to the local racquetball courts and practice these shots for hours. Whenever I had the opportunity, I’d set up matches to play against my friends. And, sure enough, over the course of the summer, I got to be pretty good. But I could never even come close to competing against JP. This became more than a little discouraging.
“JP,” I’d moan, “no matter how much I practice, I feel like I just can’t make a dent in my game against you.” His response was understanding and kind: “Big Dave,” (yes, that’s what my closest friends call me), “ya gotta keep it in perspective. It’s all a matter of scale. I’ve been playing racquetball for years. And, honestly, I’m a really good player. So, sure, I can beat you 15-zip. But remember: There are guys out there who can beat me 15-zip. And there are guys who can beat those guys 15-zip.”
The very idea was almost beyond my comprehension. How could anybody be that good? It got me thinking about other sports. I’d imagine the very best high school basketball player in the country. Then I’d imagine him going up against the very best college player in the country. Then that guy going up against the very best professional basketball player in the country. I was starting to get a handle on this whole idea of scale.
How about wealth? Okay, to me, a million dollars is a lot of money. But there are people out there who have ten million. And other people who have a hundred million. And still other people who have a billion. These individuals aren’t simply “richer”…they are orders-of-magnitude richer. Suddenly, a million seems almost paltry by comparison…but certainly not to someone with “only” a few thousand.
Turns out, this principle applies everywhere. Jewelry. Cars. Engineering. Dance. Musicianship. It’s all a matter of scale.
And what of the people who truly are at the top of the top? Those who can beat virtually everyone “15-zip”? Well, truth be told, I both admire and envy them. But I have to assume that in other areas of their lives, they don’t beat others “15-zip.” (Even Michael Jordan couldn’t cut it in professional baseball.) In fact, I’ll bet that in some instances other people actually beat them “15-zip.” (At least it makes me feel a tad better to think so…)